Latest news with #PonokaStampede
The Star
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Canadian women are leaving their mark in ranch bronc riding
Sophia Bunney launched the first time she tried ranch bronc riding, landing 'quite a ways away from the horse.' 'I'm very stubborn and I don't like being defeated,' said the 18-year-old from Cessford, Alberta. In other words, the teenager was hooked on a sport that pits women against bucking horses for eight seconds. 'I always kind of wanted to hop on a bronc,' Bunney said. 'In Grade Three, we did 'what do you want to be when you grow up?' and I said I wanted to be a female bronc rider.' Unlike saddle bronco riding, a rodeo mainstay, ranch bronc uses a regular western saddle – not a specialised one – and riders hang on with two hands instead of one. A hand is on a rein and the other on a strap wrapped around the saddle horn. Pearl Kersey, who won the Canadian women's ranch bronc title recently in Ponoka, Alberta, is president of Women's Ranch Bronc Canada and teaches it at clinics. 'I've got teenagers, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds and this year a woman in her 50s. I was like, 'You sure?'' Kersey said. 'She doesn't want to compete. She wants to try it before she gets too old. We have bucking machines. She doesn't necessarily need to get on a horse. They can go through all the drills and the bucking machine, and if they're comfortable enough, they can get on a horse.' It took a while for 19-year-old Blayne Bedard, who grew up cow riding in the Canadian Girls Rodeo Association, to master keeping her feet forward toward the horse's shoulders. 'If they come back, I'm like a pendulum and I just go head over teakettle,' Bedard said. 'For the longest time, that was my biggest problem with riding ranch bronc and why I kept bucking off was because my feet weren't moving and they'd come behind me and I'd get lawn-darted right away.' She's improved to the point where Bedard has competed in the last two Canadian championships. 'I like the look of it, too,' Bedard said. 'You get cool pictures.' More events are including women One of the lessons Bedard picked up at a Kersey clinic had nothing to do with riding form – and everything to do with what goes inside a boot. 'I put baby powder in my boots every time before I ride, and I wear my mum's boots that are a size too big for me, because if you get your foot stuck in a stirrup – which I've had a few times – you need your boot to be able to come off so you're not being dragged by the horse,' she said. Women's ranch bronc isn't part of the US$2.1mil (RM8.9mil) Calgary Stampede recently, but women's breakaway roping debuted at the 10-day rodeo. Breakaway and barrel racing are the two women's events on a programme that also features men's bull riding, saddle bronc, bareback, steer wrestling and tie-down roping. The Ponoka Stampede adding women's ranch bronc to its lineup in 2022 was a big step forward, Kersey said. Inclusion in the Calgary Stampede would be another milestone. 'The ultimate is the same with girls in breakaway roping, which is getting into pro rodeos because that's when you get the big money,' she said. 'We're way bigger with the added money than we were, but it takes time. ... It takes a while to get contestant numbers up.' A confidence boost Kersey, 36, qualified for the world finals last month in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where she won in 2019 and has twice finished second. Kersey intends to retire from competition after this year, but continue teaching. One of her students, Calgary's Emma Eastwood, picked it up quickly thanks to years of riding horses and a stint as an amateur jockey. She attended Kersey's clinics last fall and this spring, and won an event in just her third time competing. 'It is difficult to try and think through your ride and hang on through all that adrenaline,' said the 27-year-old massage therapist. 'Things kind of get a little blurry, and it's hard to process everything going on so quickly.' Rodeo bucking events have traditionally been the domain of men. Kersey, Eastwood and Bedard say the cowboys have been welcoming, though Bunney's experience has been mixed. Kersey said she has heard from many. 'Women have come up to me and said, 'Thank you for doing what you're doing.' They might not go into ranch broncs, but it just gave them the power in themselves to go pursue something that they wanted that they didn't think they could because they were women,' Kersey said. 'Other girls tell me, 'I saw you ride at Ponoka,' and they're like 'I want to try it.' Sometimes it's a confidence-booster thing. Sometimes they want to see if they'll like it and some are like 'Yeah, I'm doing this.'' – AP
Calgary Herald
05-08-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Glass takes home the 2025 Strathmore Stampede Championship
Article content It was an outstanding long weekend as the Strathmore Stampede wrapped up on a hot and sunny Monday afternoon. Racetrack conditions were exceptional on three out of the four days, capacity crowds and great chuckwagon racing was the order for the entire event. When everything finally wrapped up, Jason Glass, driving Birchcliff Energy Ltd. Outfit, and along with outriders Tyson Whitehead and Trey MacGillivray, who captured the 2025 Strathmore Stampede Championship. Article content Article content In a penalty free championship final heat, Jason Glass won the Strathmore Stampede with penalty free run of 1:13.94 from barrel position number 2. Defending Strathmore Stampede Champion Chanse Vigen placed second from barrel number 3, 91 one-hundredths of a second behind the champion Jason Glass. Evan Salmond placed third from barrel position number 3, while Lane Tournier, who has been driving for his injured father Luke Tournier since the Ponoka Stampede and was making his first appearance in a Championship Final Heat on the WPCA Pro Tour, placed fourth from barrel position number 1. Article content Article content As per usual, Jason Glass credits his horses for the win. 'My horses have been amazing,' explains Glass. 'I've been driving quite a few new ones the last few shows. I'm very proud of them.' Article content It's the third time that Jason Glass has won the Strathmore Stampede, but the first time under the Championship Final Heat format. 'Just beautiful horses. We shuffle them around a lot and try to keep them fresh,' Said Glass. 'To outrun some of these other drivers you need to be on top of your game and those horses need to love what they do.' Article content On the day, and for the second consecutive year, the Championship Final Heat produced the top four times on the afternoon. Jason Glass was first with the fastest time of the race meet with a 1:13.94, followed by Chanse Vigen, Evan Salmond nd Lane Tournier. Jamie Laboucane rounded out the afternoon with the fifth best time. Article content
Calgary Herald
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Pucks to Chucks: D.J. King looks to make his mark at the Calgary Stampede
Article content He had a strong showing at the Ponoka Stampede the week before arriving in Calgary, even winning his heat on June 28. King compared getting the chance to compete at the Calgary Stampede to playing for the Stanley Cup. Article content 'This is the event everyone wants to check off the list — to compete at the Calgary Stampede. And obviously, to do really well there is the next thing,' said King. Article content 'You set goals, and this is at the top of the table right now. So we just want to come in there, get through the nerves, keep rolling and run safe and clean.' Article content Nerves are something King has dealt with throughout his sporting career — whether it was before an NHL game or before getting behind the reins of his chuckwagon. He admits it wouldn't feel like a real event without a case of nerves — and a certain physical reaction. Article content 'That word gets around everywhere,' he said, chuckling. 'I did it in hockey and I do it in wagons. It's just part of my routine, I guess you'd say.' Article content Article content King and his crew have brought 18 horses to the Stampede and have high hopes for how the week will go. Article content 'You set goals, and this is at the top of the table right now. So we just want to come in there, get through the nerves, keep rolling and run safe and clean,' he said. Article content The chuckwagon driver had a good showing on Day 4 of the 'Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,' winning Heat 3 with a time of 1:13.70. He finished 15th overall on the day. Article content Article content 'I'm just one guy, part of a big team here, and we're all excited to come in and experience the Calgary Stampede. So, it's exciting for the whole crew.' Article content As for who horses around more — NHL players in the locker room or King's chuckwagon horses — it's a close call. Article content 'Boy, that's a close one. And that's the cool thing about this — all these horses have so much personality,' laughed King. 'But probably at the end of the day, the humans horse around a little bit more. Article content 'Watching these horses, everyone's got their own little attitude and quirks. People would be surprised how much these horses have some attitude, too.'
Calgary Herald
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Rodeo Notes, Day 3: Bull rider Grady Young shakes off pain, reaches new heights at Calgary Stampede
Article content 'I honestly just block all that out,' said Brennan, who won $7,000, while Thurston, of Big Valley, Alta., had to settle for a payday of $5,500. 'I don't even worry about it. I just focus on what I've got to do and the rest is up to the judges.' Article content That being said, Brennan was pleased as punch to outdo Thurston, who captured three straight Calgary Stampede titles from 2015-17 before finishing second behind Kade Bruno last year. Article content 'Zeke's one of my really good bodies,' Brennan said. 'We get along really good. And he's an absolute freak. You don't win four world titles and all the stuff he's won for not being the best in the world, so it's just fun to be out here competing against him and trying to take his Canadian money. It's a bit of fun.' Article content And the Aussie cowboy has been having all sorts of fun of late. Article content 'In the last four weeks, I've won nearly $60,000,' said Brennan, who was crowned the top saddle bronc rider at the Ponoka Stampede on Canada Day. 'Hopefully, we just keep adding to it here, so yeah, it's been awesome.' Article content Article content A pair of competitors from nearby Idaho kicked off Monday's rodeo by winning their respective events. Article content After Cooper Cooke scored 88 points atop Calgary Stampede's Zastron Acres to win the bareback riding event, barrel racer Megan Mcleod-Sprague had the fastest time of 17.11 seconds in her specialty. Article content It was the first-ever go-round win for both Cooke and Mcleod-Sprague, who each won $7,000 for their efforts. Article content 'I've been here for three years, came close to winning the bronze, but never quite got there, so this year must be my year,' said Cooke, who had previously scored 85 points on Zastron Acres at the Houston Rodeo. 'Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better first horse here. I mean, this is the horse's home country. They always buck better where they were born. You know when you have a Calgary horse in Calgary, it's going to be pretty good.' Article content Article content Mcleod-Sprague last competed in Calgary in 2023. Article content 'This is my first-go round win, so I'm pretty excited about that,' said Mcleod-Sprague, who praised his horse Jagger for his performance. 'He always gets stronger the more runs he's got, so I was actually really pleased for him to come out of the gate that strong.' Article content Even the pyrotechnics that are often featured during the afternoon show didn't faze him. Article content 'I was kind of laughing with one of the other barrel racers when we were out here,' Mcleod-Sprague said. 'He thinks they do the fireworks for him. He's not scared of them at all.' Article content Article content Texan Cody Devers stopped the clock in 3.8 seconds to win the steer wrestling competition. Louisiana's Rowdy Parrot may have had the best name of the day, but he had to settle for second spot behind Devers with a clocking of 4.0. Mississippi's Will Lummus, the 2022 Calgary Stampede champ, finished third (4.1) … New Mexico's Maddy Deerman's time of 2.7 seconds won Monday's breakaway roping competition. Americans Hali Williams, of Texas, and Joey Williams, of Montana, finished in second and third with times of 3.1 and 3.2, respectively. Kendal Pierson, of Wardlow, Alta., stopped the clock in 5.2 to finish a respectable fourth.
Calgary Herald
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Bull rider Jared Parsonage chases more Stampede glory during the day, Bullbustin' prize at night
When Jared Parsonage emerged as the top bull rider at the Calgary Stampede rodeo in 2023, he proclaimed that the third time was a charm. Article content Having finished second in 2019 and third in 2022, Parsonage had extra motivation to finally capture the $50,000 prize and championship bronze statue. Article content Article content Now, he's on the hunt for more as one of 10 bull riders competing in Pool A from Friday to Saturday looking to lock down one of three spots in Championship Sunday on July 13. Article content 'It's a cool place,' said the 32-year-old thrill-seeker from Maple Creek, Sask., of competing in the GMC Stadium infield at the Stampede. 'As a Canadian rodeo cowboy, I think it's special to all of us. We all want to do well … and it's always fun when it goes good.' Article content Article content Going up against the likes of Hayes Weight, who's coming off a Showdown Round win at the Ponoka Stampede on Canada Day, doesn't phase Parsonage, who always seems to be as cool as a cucumber when going about his job. Article content 'It's going to be no different than it ever is,' Parsonage said. 'You ride your bulls and if do a good job of riding your bulls, you'll be back in the finals. The name of the game is to ride bulls and if you do that, you'll give yourself a chance.' Article content After winning a bit of money — but not enough for his liking — at both the Ponoka Stampede and the Wild West PBR (a Professional Bull Riders event in Ponoka on June 28), Parsonage will be doing double duty again in Calgary this weekend. Article content Article content Shortly after Friday's rodeo, Parsonage will make the short jaunt to the Grey Eagle Resort and Casino on Tsuutʼina Nation for the fourth night of 2025 Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin' action. Article content 'I'll go to Calgary during the day and come back here at nights,' said Parsonage after being bucked off Lost Creek just shy of the eight-second mark during Wednesday's Bullbustin' performance. 'It's only one bull here at night and one bull there. If you draw a good, it's worth it. There's lots of money here. Obviously, lots of money at Calgary. You're out here and you're riding bulls, so you might as ride bulls.' Article content Unfortunately for Parsonage, his Bullbustin' experience at the five-night extravaganza — which will wrap up on Saturday — hasn't been great so far. He's been bucked off all three nights, including on Thursday when his bovine counterpart, Kraken, got the best of him.
